In the mathematical field of topology, a free loop is a variant of the mathematical notion of a loop. Whereas a loop has a distinguished point on it, called a basepoint, a free loop lacks such a distinguished point. Formally, let be a topological space. Then a free loop in is an equivalence class of continuous functions from the circle to . Two loops are equivalent if they differ by a reparameterization of the circle. That is, if there exists a homeomorphism such that .